Does High Cholesterol Increase Your Risk of Peripheral Artery Disease?

If you have high cholesterol, you need to take extra steps to ensure your maintaining a healthy life. This means eating healthy, getting proper exercise, avoiding inactivity, and not smoking. High cholesterol and vascular disease are both preventable conditions. If you maintain healthy cholesterol, you can significantly decrease your risk.

Cholesterol is a fatty substance that collects within the bloodstream. The high cholesterol level combined with the high fat content in the blood contributes to significant plaque buildup over time. High cholesterol is very serious as it contributes to other condition than PAD like heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.

High Cholesterol and Peripheral Artery Disease: Treatment

If you have high cholesterol, or if the risk factors mentioned above apply to you, we recommenced meeting with one of our vascular specialists. We offer stent angioplasty treatment for PAD at outpatient clinics across the country. Even if you aren’t ready for treatment, our specialists can consult with you about your symptoms and help create a plan that is right for you.

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a type of vascular disease that describes the hardening and narrowing of the arteries. This occurs due to a process called arteriosclerosis, or clogging of the arteries. Over time as the arteries continue to clog, the plaque hardens and causes the artery to narrow. This prevents blood from being able to flow properly through the body.

PAD is a common condition, however it can be fairly serious. If left untreated, the prolonged lack of blood supply to extremities can have negative effects on overall health. In very serious cases, PAD requires amputation of one or more limbs.

What Causes PAD?

PAD is caused by a variety of different factors. The main ones are eating unhealthy and smoking. One of the biggest contributors is high cholesterol. High cholesterol and vascular disease go hand-in-hand because cholesterol is a main source of arterial plaque. If you have high cholesterol and you do not maintain it, there can be very serious complications.

Risk factors for PAD:

• Smoking
• Diabetes
• High Cholesterol
• High Blood Pressure
• Obesity
• Old age

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) can also cause a variety of unpleasant symptoms. People with PAD often find it difficult to walk or stand for long periods due to the improper blood supply to their extremities. Other symptoms that can occur include a pale or bluish color to the skin, sores or wounds that cannot self-heal properly,  or for men, erectile dysfunction.

High Cholesterol and Vascular Disease: Tips

If you high cholesterol, follow some of these easy tips to ensure your maintaining healthy habits and promoting good circulation. The first thing you should do is avoid fast food or processed food. This will help to reduce your bad cholesterol levels and hopefully reduce the plaque buildup in your arteries. Another important tip is to regularly exercise.

Exercise is not only a great way to lose weight, but it is also very beneficial for your circulatory system and heart. If you can’t get to a gym, don’t worry. All you need is 30 minutes of activity everyday, that can mean walking, or even doing sit-ups  during TV commercials.

Contact Us for PAD Treatment

If you are looking for a vascular specialist to find a treatment for your vascular disease issues, give us a call at 888.773.2193. Our team of vascular specialists and surgeons have decades of combined experience treating patients struggling with PAD. At your first visit, well administer some simple tests to check your blood pressure and symptoms. One of our specialists will then work to create a treatment plan that is right for you and your lifestyle.

If you want to know if accept your insurance, click here. You can also give us a call and one of our representatives will be  happy to answer any questions you may have regarding insurance, treatment cost, doctor availability, and more.